Despite reports Bellator Fighting Championships’ CEO said that as far as he knows, a non-title fight between middleweight champion Hector Lombard (24-2-1 MMA, 3-0 BFC) and former WEC title-holder Paulo Filho (18-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) will still take place.

“I’ve been on the phone with all the appropriate people and we’ve got everything in line,” Rebney today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) of the Bellator 18 “super fight.”

Bellator 18 takes place this coming Thursday, May 13, at the Monroe Civic Center in Monroe, La. The main card airs on FOX Sports Net.

According to a report from GracieMag.com, Filho said he was unable to get a visa to travel to the U.S. because of documentation issues.

However, Rebney today spoke to Filho’s representatives, who said that Filho is traveling from Brazil to the U.S.on Monday and will have his pre-fight medical paperwork completed the next day. But there is a Plan B if Filho fails to materialize.

“We’ve backed ourselves up; we’ve done everything we needed to do in protecting the sanctity of that event, but my hope is that he shows up,” Rebney said. “I think Hector Lombard deserves this fight.”

Rebney declined to name Filho’s possible replacement but said it is an opponent known to mixed-martial-arts fans.

Filho’s manager, Ed Soares, did not respond to a request for comment. In February, Soares told MMAjunkie.com that the middleweight fighter is still battling personal issues that arose after his WEC fight with Chael Sonnen.

The Brazilian failed to make weight for the November 2008 title fight and appeared to have a breakdown inside the cage. He often gazed away from Sonnen during the bout and talked to himself as it played out. He ultimately suffered a decision defeat in the bout, which was changed to a non-title affair when Filho weighed 192 pounds for the 185-pound contest.

“Ever since that situation with Chael Sonnen, he’s been fighting through [issues],” Soares said.

Filho spent two months in rehab for a reported chemical dependency and depression prior to the November 2008 fight with Sonnen, who’s now a current UFC middleweight contender. The WEC’s parent company, Zuffa LLC, released the Brazilian from his contract following the disappointing performance.

Filho was rumored to be under consideration for Bellator Fighting Championships but was not picked up for the promotion’s first season. This past July, he re-emerged in DREAM with a vintage performance against Melvin Manhoef, whom he submitted with an armbar inside three minutes. He later moved up to light heavyweight for two appearances in Bitetti Combat, where he defeated Alex Schoenauer by decision and Tatsuhiko Nishizaka by submission in September and December, respectively.

Then, in February, Filho no-showed the weigh-ins for an expected fight with Yuki Sasaki at Bitetti Combat 6. In a subsequent interview, he said the cancellation arose over the money promised to him in his contract.

In March, he was photographed with a new tattoo on his face that resembled the one worn by former boxing champion Mike Tyson.

“There’s only so much we can do,” Soares said in February. “We love Paulo; he’s a great person, he’s incredible. But he’s going through some issues. He’s having some family problems.

“He put himself back together to fight Manhoef, and he’s been winning some fights, but he’s still going through a tough thing.”

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